Understanding The Message?

A common assumption about communicating a message is thinking that it is understood.

Many factors affect the effectiveness a message including the medium used to communicate, the media used to deliver it, the tone of it, the intended audience, and avenues of feedback.

This advice will most certainly help at work and otherwise in all communications. Learn about:

Simplification

Structure

Repetition

Responsibility

Two Way

Empathy

Sara Sabin. Ex-chartered accountant, entrepreneur, transformative coach, writer & speaker. Member of the Entrepreneur Magazine Leadership Network. https://muckrack.com/sara-sabin

***** S&E *****

Log Entry No. 33: “Greeting” Cards…

It is not about greeting cards… it is about how much enjoyment you can have creating custom greeting cards. The software is out there to download or use online.

In 2005 I created the “Fire-in-the-Hole Card Company” (Fithco). It’s copyrighted. So don’t even think about using the name. :>) I created it but never marketed the Card Company. I just wanted a name or label to identify all the humorous and insulting cards I created for friends and family. Many are humorous. A few were not insulting. All are PG 13 or greater.

Here is the original logo of Fithco. It is the family dog as well as the Fithco business card. The Logo also appears on the back cover of all cards.

There is so much material (the family and our friends keep on creating material) that the opportunities and targets are always there. Since its inception, I have created more than 150 custom greeting cards for all sorts of occasions, events and to highlight screw ups that in some cases have become family stories. You can read about some, on this blog. The stories are called “Log Entries”.

I have been part of, created, and witnessed many of the Log Entries. They are all true. And in some cases they create the source of information for the greeting cards. Currently, I have assembled all the Log Entries in a book I intend on taking public, called “The Book of Log Entries”. There are more than 45 stories in the Book to date. Most are 1 page.

We all love our dogs. And the best part about using them as part of a logo, they don’t complain, don’t charge fees, don’t care what their pics look like, and their stuff is not copyrighted. Most importantly they don’t sue you for any number of frivolous or false offenses. imagined and created by money hungry judicial system “professionals”.

Recently, I adopted a new logo for the greeting cards; another family dog. The photo was so inspiring, I decided to change out the original logo (above). Here is the new logo at the right. Absolutely inspiring!

At the left is an example of a cover of a card made for a family friend, a graduating high school senior.

As we speak, I am confident family and friends are unknowingly creating more material for the “Fire-in-the-Hole” card company.

***** S&E *****

Strikes at the heart of Leadership

Found this post and image on LinkedIn. I believe this is as good as it gets on the subject of Leadership. So, here is the entire post.

Leadership First

Leaders who understand that leading others is a privilege also know that no one is an expert in everything. Instead, the most influential businesses are built by a team committed to helping the organization achieve its vision and purpose.

According to Brian Scudamore, I’ve learned that strong leaders don’t fight to have the first and last word. Instead, they listen to their teams, ask the right questions, and allow everyone to contribute. Why do so many leaders seem to forget that leading others more than anything else should be held in reverence? You are privileged to be in a position where you can direct, shape, and focus the potential of people toward a specific result.

Remember, leadership is all about people, inspiring people to believe that the impossible is possible, developing and building people to perform at heights they never imagine. It’s all about inspiring your team to become the very best version of themselves. When you understand that, your company will become one of the best in the world.

Check out more here: 
https://lnkd.in/ewvwKhu

#leadershipfirstquotes#entrepeneurship#leadershipdevelopment #executivesandmanagement#management#leadershipfirst#giffordthomas #leadership#inspiration#motivation

***** S&E *****

A few different “takes” on employee retention!

There is a lot “out there” about what it takes to retain employees; an especially challenging job in these times when the country is dotted with help wanted signs and incentives offered as part of recruiting packages.

If you are leading an organization, or are otherwise in a position of influence in the company, here is another “entry” on why employees “jump ship”. It is always good to keep this in front of the organizations managers and supervisors. Their attitude toward retention, and their related behavior, speaks to the quality of company culture and that is everything! That is the difference in retaining talent, and not.

This was published recently by Fast Company Magazine… I found a few different “takes” in this.

“Seven mistakes organizations make that cause employees to quit.”

“The decision to leave an organization doesn’t just happen overnight.”

Here is a summary:

  • Lack of Appreciation
  • Unfairness and favoritism
  • Allowing no autonomy over one’s work
  • Showing no interest in employees’ passions 
  • One-size-fits-all staff appreciation
  • A lack of meaning
  • A lack of fun and play

About the author

Harvey Deutschendorf is an emotional intelligence expert, author and speaker. To take the EI Quiz go to theotherkindofsmart.com

***** S&E *****

About “Log Entries”…

There is a page in this blog titled “Log Entries”.

Log Entries are a collection of iconic stories from non-occasions and special occasions, mostly family incidents, all involved family members or friends, all true.    Some are funny, some the reader might find distasteful, maybe disgusting, but I doubt insulting.  The re-telling of these monumental events is “meant to be humorous” but all readers might not see it that way. One in particular has a very sad, sad ending, but not connected to the story itself. 

Most readers and families have stuff like this in their history, mostly shared in conversation; few take the time to record these precious moments of humor, bizarre behavior, and sometimes bad judgment and stupidity.  Why would you?

There may be a Darwin Award in these somewhere.

***** S&E *****

Log Entry No. 68: Teetering on the Stoop

From the archives of decades past…

The five of them hung out regularly. On this occasion it was Thanksgiving Eve, 1979, after work, about 6 PM, at a bar, just a few blocks from the office. The office was along the coast, they all lived 20 and 30 miles inland, in different towns.

They lifted glasses to the holiday for hours.

As the evening wore on so did the stupidity. Jokes, insults, nothing was off limits. One took the other’s jacket, one took one’s glasses, another took another’s wallet, Tom took Bob’s car keys. They had all driven separately.

Tom (T), well oiled, was the first to leave. It was past 11 PM. He drives the 20 miles home, pulls in the driveway only to find he has Bob’s car keys in his coat pocket. So he drives to Bob’s house, 10 miles away, to drop the car keys. This, was clearly a mistake. It is almost midnight. Bob’s wife (BW) answers the doorbell in a robe. The conversation goes something like this:

BW: (Beyond pissed) What are you doing here, where’s Bob?

T (physically weaving on the doorstep, stammering): Don’t know, just returning his keys.

BW: Where’s his car?

T: Town.

BW: How the hell is he going to get home?

T: Don’t know.

BW: (Way beyond pissed, smoking!) (T still weaving around on the door step): Do you know tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day?

T: Hmmmm….

BW: Did you know I needed him to shop tonight for dinner condiments for tomorrow? Do you know his family is coming tomorrow? You guys are disgusting! (She’s experienced with the group)

BW: Grabs the car keys and slams the door.

T: Goes home. Smiling, happily knowing that Bob is going to take a number of days of pure hellfire.

(You can’t make this stuff up)

***** S&E *****

It is all about Leadership

I noticed this image in an article on leadership.

And it struck me that articles and publications on leadership continue on a regular basis. I did a bit of research on the status of leadership in business and industry. I found this to be my preferred image representing the topic.

It does a good job of representing the differences between management and leadership. It also certainly depicts the complexity of great leadership. That is, the many and varied actions, traits and behaviors necessary to lead and manage effectively.

So aside from terminations for cause and business downsizing/involuntary turnover driven by economic fluctuations, the leading causes of voluntary employee turnover is, by many sources, laid at the feet of leadership (failures).

Fifty-two percent of exiting employees say that their manager or organization could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job. (Gallup Poll). And according to indeed.com, here are some of the major causes for employee turnover:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/high-employee-turnover

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the overall turnover rate is 57.3 %, but that number drops to 25% when considering only voluntary turnover, 29% when considering involuntary turnover, and just 3% when looking at only high-performers.

Almost 25%, that is huge and expensive. And considering high performers make up a very small percentage of the workforce, that turnover is insignificant as the heart of the workforce is experiencing the greatest percentage of voluntary turnover.

It Is All About Leadership!

Look at the causes of voluntary turnover, the reciprocals of those causes are the solutions!

“Join a company, quit a boss”.

***** S&E *****

A New Pupster

In an earlier post https://successnexcess.com/2022/12/18/saying-goodbye-to-shelby/ I noted how tough it was to say goodbye to our Labradoodle of 15 years.

So there is an ongoing conversation about another one. And not just us, lots of pressure from the kids (41 and 44 — still kids) about getting another pupster. They like big, like a Bernedoodle, 80 pounds would be on the small side! They do not live at our home so big is OK with them as they are not here to suffer through puppy-hood. If they were home I’m sure they would be missing in action most of the time when it came time to care for the mutt.

And we want another pup but I thought I’d use the blog to write down just some of the reasons why, NOT YET!

When we pull the trigger on a pup, it will be another doodle of sorts. It’s got to be a pup.

Why not (in order of importance)?

  • Travel restrictions
  • Time with mutt
  • Surviving puppy-hood
  • Property damage (Teething)
  • Indoor accidents
  • Vet costs

I’m not listing all the reasons why we should go get another doodle as it would only be cannon fodder for running out and getting one. : < )

***** S&E *****

Audience Power !

This is significant:

February 23, 2023, news article: Supreme Court hears Gonzalez v. Google, focused on whether YouTube is exempt from liability for terrorist content uploaded to the platform; case has potential ramifications for how internet companies moderate content on their site”

When this graphic from “Chartr” is considered:

Then think of the impact of the media, and specifically harmful or radical content, on the kids and young adults who are in highly impressionable age groups.

Latest update. The judges say they are worried about lawsuits. Well, judges, you could always throw them out if they are frivolous.

***** S&E *****